The word "mafia" is taken from the old Sicilian adjective mafiusu, which has its roots in the Arabic mahjas, meaning "sanctuary". Roughly translated, it means "swagger", but can also be translated as "boldness, bravado". In reference to a man, mafiusu in 19th-century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising, and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta. The association of the word with the criminal secret society was made by the 1863 play I mafiusi di la Vicaria (The Beautiful (people) of Vicaria) by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca, which is about criminal gangs in the Palermo prison. The words Mafia and mafiusi (plural of mafiusu) are never mentioned in the play, and were probably put in the title because it would add local flair. The association between mafiusi and criminal gangs was made by the association the play's title made with the criminal gangs that were new to Sicilian and Italian society at the time. Consequently, the word "mafia" was generated from a fictional source loosely inspired by the real thing and was used by outs......

Word Count: 3824
Page Count: 15.2 (250 words a page / double spaced)

Get UNLIMITED INSTANT ACCESS to over 15,000 Essays & Term Papers!

View Full Essay Right Now Only $12.99

Get instant access to this paper along with 15,000 other term papers, essays, and book reports
To view the entire free essay of The Mafia, you must donate an original essay of your own to our web site so that we can grow our collection of free essays, book reports and term papers. View the entire The Mafia essay, term paper or book report for FREE.

Search for other The Mafia essays, term papers and book reports.

Other Free Essays, Term Papers and Book Reports:

inanimate influence: Stonehenge, Sanchi Hill, and the Ka�bah free essay paper
Human Rights of Drug Addicts free book report
progressivism free book report
MANAGEMENT THEORY & APPLIED OPERATIONS MGT. free essay paper
A Reaction on the Article of Paul Krugman: In Praise of Cheap Labor free book report
Traditional theorist Gustave Le Bon free essay paper
Critically evaluate the �medical model� of mental disorder free term paper
JACK WELSH CASE STUDY free term paper
Sexually transmitted diseases free essay paper
P&G�S PERT PLUS free term paper
Kamba and Maasai: Paths to Marriage in Kenya free book report
talk show drama free term paper
what are the global ramifications of cloning on a cellular level free book report
Fashion free essay paper
Comparing and Contrasting operating systems free book report
Behind the Aloha � Unhappiness free essay paper
Exploitation Of Women In Hip Hop free book report
The Western Drug Companies and the AIDS epidemic in South Africa free essay paper
Nigeria: Where I Am From free book report
Literature Background: The Giver free essay paper

We realize you have a choice when selecting where to go to find a book report, essay or term paper on The Mafia so we appreciate your support in using our essay help and term paper help service.

Dear Free Essays:

Thanks for helping me with my term paper!
With so many essays and term papers on your service, I got a few ideas from mixing and matching and managed to write a great paper in 1/10 the time. My teacher thought so too because I got an A grade. Thank you so much!

Julia B.
Denver, Colorado

I'm very pleased with the quality of your term papers and essays. For all the time and worrying your service saved me from, it was well worth the $12.99.

Brandon W.
Columbus, Ohio

I totally waited to the last minute to work on my term paper and really started to freak. But your site totally came to my rescue and helped me out of a bind. I scored an 89 so I was very pleased. If your crew is ever in San Diego, I'll buy you all a beer!

Greg F.
UC San Diego

RELATED SITES | TERMS & CONDITIONS | CONTACT US | BUY ESSAYS | MEMBER LOGIN